WWE - From The Vault: Shawn Michaels (DVD)

...HBK vs. Bret Hart - WWE Championship Ironman Match - WrestleMania XII - *****
HBK vs. Diesel - WWE Championship - No Holds Barred - Good Friends, Better Enemies IYH - ****
HBK vs. Mankind - WWE Championship - Mind Games IYH - *****
HBK vs. Undertaker - Hell In A Cell - Badd Blood IYH - *****
HBK vs. Triple H - Non-Sanctioned Match - SummerSlam 2002 - *****

Extras

There are an assortment of ...
...be a long time before WWE puts out another set with as many consistently good matches as this.

Where to Get It

The set usually retails around the £20 mark so it is cheaper than the sets put out by WWE in 2004 and 2005 but again it only has two discs of content.

The set is available from Ciao and other websites such as Amazon.co.uk and play.com.

My personal opinion on buying this set. If ... more

General

I'm a big Shawn Michaels fan and could not wait to watch this DVD set but I foolish waited a long time before doing so. These days wrestlers' DVD sets usually take 3 discs or more and this set is less than what HBK deserved.

The matches featured are excellent but with the exception of the opening match they are matches that you probably seen before.

Match Listing

I have rated each match on a scale of 1 to 5 stars

AWA Tag Team Championships - ***
HBK vs. Razor Ramone - IC Championship Ladder Match - WrestleMania X - *****
HBK vs. Bret Hart - WWE Championship Ironman Match - WrestleMania XII - *****
HBK vs. Diesel - WWE Championship - No Holds Barred - Good Friends, Better Enemies IYH - ****
HBK vs. Mankind - WWE Championship - Mind Games IYH - *****
HBK vs. Undertaker - Hell In A Cell - Badd Blood IYH - *****
HBK vs. Triple H - Non-Sanctioned Match - SummerSlam 2002 - *****

Extras

There are an assortment of extras on the set including many promo's and interviews. Each of which warrant their place on the set and are a nice addition to the matches.

A gallery which is as mediocre as it sounds.

The main extra that appealed to me was the alternate commentary by HBK and Kevin Nash on their No Holds Barred bout in 1996. That was something unique to this set.

Overall Thoughts

With one match (the Ironman match) being over 1 hour in length and only being a 2 Disc set there are some really great HBK matches that are not featured here, some because they have occured since and some that were omitted for time and space reasons.

The final match is HBK's comeback against HHH at Summerslam 2002 which is a shame because new fans won't get a chance to see the other HBK classics that have happened since.

The main thing I do not understand is how you can omit the Survivor Series 1997 incident from the set as that was pivotal in HBK's career. Had that incident been included it could very well have sold bucket loads more copies for WWE.

One thing this DVD does have over titles such as Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker is that it features nice little interviews before and after bouts about the match and the direction of HBK at the time. These out-of-character 'shoot' interviews are what make the set as appealing as it is (alongside the GREAT matches).

The set also shows enough footage leading up to each bout that you understand why the match is taking place which is a very nice touch and makes the set more engaging to watch from start to finish unlike the Undertaker offering.

The AWA bout is not one I had seen before and I doubt many fans would see have either. The bout is the weakest on the set but is great for you to gain a better insight of the Rockers, HBK as a kid and the AWA feel.

Whatever gripes I do have with this set there is one thing I am sure of. It will be a long time before WWE puts out another set with as many consistently good matches as this.

Where to Get It

The set usually retails around the £20 mark so it is cheaper than the sets put out by WWE in 2004 and 2005 but again it only has two discs of content.

The set is available from Ciao and other websites such as Amazon.co.uk and play.com.

My personal opinion on buying this set. If you are going to buy this set then shop around for it. I have seen this set in places such as HMV and Virgin for £9.99 during their many sales. If not then possibly shop around ebay for it. It is a good DVD it justs falls when compared to the newer WWE releases.

Recommendation

This set is great a gives a decent amount of backstory to HBK but not nearly enough when compared to the sets of 2006. I'm waiting for the next HBK set sicne I've seen this all before.

If you are new to WWE then I'd suggest that you track this down as Shawn Michaels is the most consistent big match performer WWE has had in the past 15 years. There are plenty of matches here that will show you exactly what HBK is capable of.

If you are a long time WWE fan then apart from the AWA match you will have seen all of this before. I'd recommend getting another set such as the Bret Hart or Jake Roberts set as they have better insights, many good matches AND a documentary piece.

Get it if you see it for under £10 otherwise get the Bret set.

 

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